Currently there are known weighing machines with a continuous transport system with bucket-carrying supports along a closed path to which several buckets are coupled. A known type of machines comprise a series of work stations distributed along the path followed by the supports, and by extension the buckets coupled to the supports, such as a loading station where fruit is fed into the buckets; a weighing station where the fruit contained in each bucket is weighed; and an emptying or unloading station where the buckets are emptied.
In the so-called combination weighing machines, several buckets are attached to the same support, and at the emptying station there is a selective emptying of the buckets whose total fruit weight is closest to a predetermined value. A weighing machine of this type is described in patent document EP 0982570.
The weighing operation in the weighing station is carried out without interrupting the forward movement of the supports; in other words, without stopping the transport of the buckets. For this reason, in the literature this type of weighing machine is referred to as a dynamic weighing machine.
To carry out the weighing operation without interrupting the forward movement of each support and bucket set, EP 0982570 suggests that the buckets be articulated to the supports with a certain amount of play, such that the buckets can be lifted with respect to the associated support without becoming mechanically separated, such that the bucket can adopt, with respect to the support, a supporting position, in which the weight of the bucket rests upon the support, as well as a weighing position, in which the bucket is slightly raised with respect to the support. For this, the bucket has slotted holes with grooves through which a bolt associated with the support passes, as well as cut-outs that come in contact with a stop that is integral to the support.
This coupling allows the buckets in the weighing station to circulate by sliding along the weighing platform that is linked to a load cell without ceasing to be transported by the associated support. In the machine according to EP 0982570, the base of the buckets has flaps and a front extension that allow the bucket to support itself on the weighing platform in slide mode.
A first objective of the invention is to provide an alternative to the proposal according to EP 0982570. The proposal according to the patent document EP 0982570 does not allow the bucket to be easily separated from the support, for example to carry out cleaning or maintenance tasks.
Therefore, another object of the invention is a bucket-carrying system with easy assembly and maintenance that does not affect the accuracy of weight measurements.
It is of interest that the solution not require auxiliary components to intervene in the joint between the support and the bucket, which can be lost. In other words, they become free when the joint between the support and the bucket is disconnected.
In the proposal according to EP 0982570, the articulated joint between the support and the bucket is located at a front end of the bucket, such that, in practice, the support pulls the bucket as it is transported, with the forces that pull the bucket acting on a point outside of the usable volume provided by the bucket.
Another object of the invention is a solution that allows this mechanical contact point to be placed at a different location between the support and the associated bucket, without it requiring a change in the configuration of the bucket to prevent interference with elements that must be connected mechanically.